A New Low Rate Rally + MORE May 17th

NEW YORK, N.Y. – Moody’s Investors Services says it has upgraded Ireland’s credit rating by two notches.
The ratings service says Ireland’s economy has picked up momentum in the past few months and should grow considerably faster than the average among countries using the euro currency. It says Ireland’s improving real estate market has also significantly reduced the government’s contingent liabilities.
It raised Ireland’s rating further into investment grade to Baa1 from Baa3 late Friday.
Ireland had to be rescued by an international bailout after it faced economic ruin in 2010, when the cost of a bank-rescue program destroyed its ability to borrow at affordable rates. But it has since regained its financial independence and repaired its fiscal reputation by exceeding a series of deficit-cutting targets and avoiding both labour unrest and protracted recession.
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It’s been sometime since we’ve seen a major flight bonus from Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Club. You can’t count the Little Red anniversary bonus that is running right now so when we got wind of this offer this morning we had to post it right away for all our Flying Club fans! The offer is only for flights in Economy Class but is quite rich as it offers not only 50% bonus miles but also 2 tier points per sector flown!! This promo couldn’t come at a better time as Virgin just recently restarted their Vancouver-London flights for the 2014 summer season! There don’t appear to be any rules like we see from Aeroplan for those who have already booked so if you already have your Vancouver-London (and beyond) flights make sure you register for this offer!Here is the offer as it will appear on our Flying Club Bonus Miles page:Earn 50% bonus Flying Club miles and 2 bonus tier points on every sector flown with Virgin Atlantic Worldwide. So take a return flight and you’ll earn 4 bonus tier points…

The Canadian finance product landscape is always evolving, and this week was no exception, with a few major shakeups among the credit card and mortgage markets. Investors Group stormed the home buying scene with the lowest rate so far this season – a sub-2% variable rate, sure to turn heads among an already competitive rate environment.
Fans of prepaid credit cards also have reason to smile, as the federal government has done away with frustrating hidden fees and misleading packaging. Be sure to check out our coverage on the recent changes.
Investors Group Introduces 1.99% 3-Year Variable Mortgage Rate
It’s one of the lowest variable rates ever seen – should you take the opportunity to score your mortgage at this rate? Investors Group made headlines this week with their 1.99% jaw dropper – but while such a rate offers fantastic savings, there are restrictions consumers should be aware of. Check out our breakdown of this mortgage product’s features, and see if it’s a fit for your home financing plan…

The 31-year-old CEO of Coinbase on his plan to become the world payment processor for the virtual currency. Could this be the end of credit cards?